The Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 1876.

Evening Star, Issue 4215, 30 August 1876, Page 2

The Evening Star. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30, 1876.

The retirement from office of Sir Julius Vogel seems equally displeasing to his opponents as his retention of it. Nothing seems to please them. After adopting every effort that party ingenuity could employ to eject him; after loading him with obloquy, and endeavouring to thwart his policy by every means, fair and unfair; now that their object is attained they regard his retirement as an unpardonable affront. To us this l seems the height of absurdity. If it were thought desirable to supersede him because of the measures he proposed, his resignation so far weakens his party as to render the access to power of his opponents somewhat more probable. - Their grand mistake is, however, now making itself evident; they sought to succeed to office without declaring a policy, and therefore no sane man was prepared to accept the consequences of supporting them. The time chosen for the resignation of Sir Julius is not inopportune. The principles, although not the details, of future measures have been affirmed by the House ; and notwithstanding the minors that were afloat regarding Ministerial changes, it appears that virtually the rest of the Ministry will remain in possession of their present portfolios. The explanations given by Sir Julius Vogel deserved more generous consideration than they received from some members of the House. It is well known that his health is so precarious that the excitement of political strife is fraught with danger to his life. 11l or well, while connected with the Ministry he has Jjjßever rested from his efforts to benefit# the Colony. During intense personal suffering he has defended it with his pen against detractors, and has directly benefited it by advantageously conducting loan operations, in the face of the short-sighted opposition of men, whose avocations should have enabled them to comprehend the monetary position of the money market better than he. Yet his judgment proved correct; and the result shows that, had he weakly yielded to theirs, New Zealand might at this moment have been in difficulties re-

qniring years to overcome. Now, with prudent management, there is really nothing to fear for the future. There may he some who actually believe, with that shallow master of claptrap, Mr Rees, that New Zealand’s affairs are in a hopeless muddle; others, for political motives difficult to be understood, join in this ignorant cry, knowing well that there is not a shadow of foundation for it. The proof that the measures initiated by the successive Ministries of which Sir Julius Vogel has been a member, have added to the value of property throughout the Colony is seen in the fact that the upset price of land is nowhere less than two pounds per acre. As a passing remark, we may fairly ask how much would have been put into the pockets of the five squatters whom the Provincial Government of this Province selected as purchasers of 64,000 acres of mixed agricultural and pastoral land? Clearly L 64,000 at least has been saved to the Province. The meeting on Monday forgot that fact—perhaps it did not suit to remember it. It

is evident from Sir Julius Vogel's statement that under any circumstances the Colony would have lost his services as a legislator, that he has informed his colleagues of the fact, and that, although he is prepared to act in the very onerous capacity of AgentGeneral, even that will only be for a brief period. We see nothing to justify the ill-natured remarks of Mr Eolleston and Mr Andrew It would indeed be a sad case if the prosperity of the Colony depended upon the intellect or life of one man. Last session was got through without Sir Julius, and some most important measures passed. He was not a party to them, and those who proposed them are fully equal to the task of supplementing them; while at Home there is no question that a reorganisation of the Agency department is required. Surely a man has a right to choose whether he will remain Premier or not. The humblest farm servant has a right to quit the place he holds if he will. Kings and queens may abdicate, so that according to Mr Rolleston and the oddities who think with him, the only people in slavery under a democratic Constitution are Ministers, and they are expected to sacrifice health, comfort, and material prosperity, and to stand as the butt for fools to shoot their venom at, until turned out by unscrupulous adversaries, who forget the good they have done and load their memories with imaginary evils to magnify their own superiority.